There’s no doubt that college is a lot of work. And with all of that work, it can be hard to fit in some of the activities you liked to do before college started up again. Reading for fun can be especially hard with all of your reading for classes piling up, so whenever you have some free time you’d rather watch TV than do anything else. But if you’re like me and have a huge stack of books you want to get through, check out some of these tips to help you read more during college.
- Join a book club.
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Joining a book club is the best way to hold yourself accountable for reading books. You don’t want to be that person who shows up without having even started the reading. With that peer pressure, you’re sure to pick up your book instead of turning on Netflix. You can either join a pre-existing book club or start one with a few of your friends and find a book you’re all interested in reading!
- Get eBooks to read on your phone.
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EBooks are a super convenient way to get more reading in. Having the Kindle or Books app on your phone means you can pull it out and read whenever you get the chance to, like standing in line at the grocery store, waiting in a waiting room, or even in the car (as a passenger, of course!). Publishers are always having sales for eBooks so you can get them super cheap and some even for free!
- Audiobooks!
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When people ask me how I read so much, my answer is always audiobooks. You can listen to audiobooks while doing chores, exercising, taking a walk, driving… the possibilities are endless! Audiobooks feel like a whole new way to experience books, especially when you find ones read by the author or a full cast. You can get audiobooks on apps like Audible and Scribd, or check them out from the library with apps like Overdrive and Libby.
- Support your local library (and your wallet) by checking out books.
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Library books are another great way to hold yourself accountable for reading. Having only 3 weeks to get through a book really puts the pressure on to read them. Plus, they’re free books and who can say no to that! You can also connect the Overdrive or Libby app to your library card to get audiobooks and eBooks from the library that you can read or listen to on your phone or laptop, if that’s more convenient.
- Get a Goodreads to keep track of your reading.
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Goodreads is basically social media for books and it’s a great app to get you motivated to read. It keeps track of books you’ve read and books you want to read, and lets you sort your books into shelves. It’s also a review site, so you can let your friends know what you’ve thought of the books you’ve read. It’s a great way to keep track of what you’re reading, share that with your friends, and find new recommendations for books to read as well.
- Find time to read after you finish your schoolwork and before you go to bed.
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I know the temptation once you finish your schoolwork is either to immediately fall asleep or start watching Netflix, but I’ve found that finding time to read before I go to bed not only helps me to read more, but also makes it easier to fall asleep. It’s a great way to unwind and relax after your classes and to get in a few pages every day.
- Get some new recommendations!
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Nothing gets me more excited about reading than learning about new books that sound really interesting to me. There are all sorts of places to find book recommendations: you could check out some of the endless lists online, watch some videos in YouTube’s book review niche, or, I don’t know, check out this article I wrote to get a recommendation based on your zodiac sign (just a little self-promo)! No matter how you find them, nothing refreshes your interest in books like hearing about one that sounds especially cool.
So there you have it! Hopefully, you found some tips in here that will help you find time in your busy life to pick up a book. Happy reading!